Chipotle Mexican Grill Options Trading: A Deep Dive into Market Sentiment

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with CMG, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 19 uncommon options trades for Chipotle Mexican Grill.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 36% bullish and 63%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $273,194, and 15 are calls, for a total amount of $582,199.

Expected Price Movements

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $2740.0 to $4300.0 for Chipotle Mexican Grill during the past quarter.

Volume & Open Interest Development

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Chipotle Mexican Grill stands at 65.0, with a total volume reaching 87.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Chipotle Mexican Grill, situated within the strike price corridor from $2740.0 to $4300.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill is the largest fast-casual chain restaurant in the United States, with systemwide sales of $9.9 billion in 2023. The Mexican concept is predominately company-owned (it recently inked a development agreement with Alshaya Group in the Middle East), with a footprint of nearly 3,440 stores at the end of 2023, heavily indexed to the United States, although the firm maintains a small presence in Canada, the U.K., France, and Germany. Chipotle sells burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and beverages, with a selling proposition built around competitive prices, high-quality food sourcing, speed of service, and convenience. The company generates its revenue entirely from restaurant sales and delivery fees.

Having examined the options trading patterns of Chipotle Mexican Grill, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance

Present Market Standing of Chipotle Mexican Grill

• Trading volume stands at 37,046, with CMG's price down by -0.86%, positioned at $2930.0.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought.
• Earnings announcement expected in 28 days.

What The Experts Say On Chipotle Mexican Grill

3 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $3116.6666666666665.

• An analyst from Bernstein persists with their Outperform rating on Chipotle Mexican Grill, maintaining a target price of $3200.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Deutsche Bank keeps a Buy rating on Chipotle Mexican Grill with a target price of $3300.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Wedbush keeps a Neutral rating on Chipotle Mexican Grill with a target price of $2850.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Chipotle Mexican Grill options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.